The Bazaar

If you have been following my blog for some time now, you’ll know that I love to try out new experiences, am a great believer of living life to the fullest and a foodie. Trying out new places fits perfectly into my passion and recently, I had a wonderful dinner date to try out some wonderful North Indian Cuisine.

The Bazaar has landed in Katong area which is a place I frequently head to for meals. This place is just opened for less than a month! The location is pretty accessible as they are located opposite I12 Katong Shopping Center and next to Astons Steak House. It’s a 2 story restaurant with a pretty big upper area that you can book for parties!

We had the whole upper area to ourselves that day! Let me head straight to the most important thing. The food and if they are good.

I started of my tastings with a glass of mago lassi ($4.50). In my opinion lassi rarely goes wrong and this one had the right amount of yogurt and mango to give it sufficient flavors without it being too sweet.

My favorite in the appetizers section is the Tandoori Aloo ($8.90) which is simple comfort food of baked potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese and spices. The texture and taste is just nice without being overwhelming.

The Tandoori Chicken ($11.90) is a popular dish for the appetizers as well. The roasted chicken is beautifully prepared with yogurt and spices.

The Samosa ($5.90) was huge! I just had a nibble of this. It tasted fine but  I much preferred the other appetizers.

A fresh basket of poppadams ($3.50) accompanied us throughout our meal. Unlike the usual poppadams we are used to, this one is freshly made and is a tad spicy as it has a very strong black pepper flavor.

Next came the main courses! Each portion of food can feed about 3 persons so it’s good to get a bigger group together to try out more dishes.

The Fish Amritsari ($13.90) was good and not too spicy. I wouldn’t have chosen to order this dish if I had gone on my own but after trying it, I’ve changed my mind!

These were the chicken dishes. The Chicken Tikka Masala ($12.90) and the Butter Chicken ($12.90).  Between the two, my vote goes to the butter chicken. In general, butter chicken is my all-time fave when it comes to Indian cuisine so I could be a little basis in my choice but how can I say no to a rich creamy buttery chicken with just the right amount of spices.

The Bazaar has a wide selection for vegetarians as well. And 2 of the vegetarian mains I’ve tried are the Veg Jhal Frez ($11.90) and the Dum Aloo Masala (10.90). Both are great tasting and I feel that Veg Jhal Frenzi with it’s stronger tomato base makes it a pretty unique dish.

The other accompaniments we had that night were Garlic Naan ($3.00), Onion-Chilli Kulcha ($4.00), Chicken Dum Biryani (13.90), Vegetable Biryani ($11.90) and  Dal Makhani ($9.90). The biryani rice is long and very flavorful, great for a one -dish meals especially if you come for weekday lunch. For weekday lunch, the Chicken Biryani Set that comes with 1 soft drink is only $12.90 and if you want add any additional item to your lunch, it’s only $1 more! A totally good deal but do go with an empty growling tummy cause the portions are generous!

We tried 2 types of dessert. The first one is Rice and Nuts Yogurt Pudding which is so new that it’s not even in their menu yet!

The second one is Gulab Jamun ($4.90) which made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids that is deep fried and soaked in a syrup that has spices, rosewater and saffron. This dessert is popular among many Indians and the first time I tried it at an Indian wedding, it was so sweet I nearly choked! I was a little hesitant to try it again but when I did, it was perfect! The chef had toned the sweetness down to a comfortable and delicious level. The restaurant owner suggested having Gulab Jamun with vanilla ice-cream which made this dessert a hit with me!

If you ever order this dessert in the restaurant, I highly recommend you to add ice-cream for only $1 more. The fusion makes it a gorgeous dessert for anyone and I gobbled up the whole thing on my own even when I was throughly stuffed by then.

To end the meal, we had traditional masala tea. Not too strong and sweet, this was the perfect ending to the perfect North Indian Cuisine. That was until we spotted Bazaar’s Coffee on the menu and William decided to ordered it since it was a specialty for Bazaar.

The coffee order lead to one of the biggest discovery that night! We learnt that to create this specialty coffee, they first had to make a special coffee cream which requires an hour or two worth of stirring coffee and milk till it’s a paste.

We tasted the coffee cream paste in its concentrate form and I was so addicted to it! It’s sweet but packs a potent coffee punch. I tried it with my Gulab Jamun dessert with vanilla ice-cream and the combination was a beautiful medley of flavors that resembled a North Indian tiramisu. Just soooooo sooooo good! Everyone on the table agreed and the owner even said that they will include it in the new menu! If you go The Bazaar for your taste of India, please remember to order Gulab Jamun with ice-cream and coffee cream. Even if it’s not on the menu yet, they would be happy to oblige and you won’t get this dessert anywhere else! I love how the owner is big on trying out new fusion tastes and is absolutely dedicated to good indian cuisine. Unfortunately, she’s camera shy so I didn’t take a photo with her.

I love the dessert so much that I’m intending on going back soon for the special creation we came up with as well as to try the veg Hakka Noodles (from the kids menu) because the owner told me chinese indian food is a big thing in india and it’s a very popular cuisine.

If you want to try out The Bazaar, it’s at 115 East Coast Road.

Opening hours are 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9.30pm.

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Outfit for the day

I always have a weakness for maxi dresses, regardless of trends.

Dress: Fa Shion Manor

Bag: LV

Earrings: Forever 21

Ring: Cartier

Cuff: Tory Burch

Heels: Korean